Grounded
by AliCat174347
Summary: Baltor's first meeting with the princess of Sparx. currently up as a two-shot, might become more if I find any inspiration for it. Have fun reading!
1. Solaria

Alright, I did some small revisions in this chapter, nothing major just small errors and some aesthetic changes. I'm not going to promise any new updates cause the one fic that I actually wanted to make a multi-chapter story is now dead in a ditch somewhere after more than a year of no updates. Still, have fun reading and if you have any tips/trick/questions don't hesitate to contact me through pm or the comments.

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 **He has no idea how it happens, all he knows is that it started on Solaria.**

He's tired. So, so tired "...and once I have Radius under control, I can get rid of Princess Stella and reinforce my control over the royal court. Then I can..." Cassandra. Dear Dragon, he wonders if she suffers from motormouth as well as brain damage. Who in their right mind talks about overthrowing a planet not just out in the open bit in the royal castle itself? no-one, at least not anyone he'd normally be acquainted with. Honestly, if the woman continues to talk about it here he might just go back on his word and refuse her his help after all. "Yeah! And I'll be the new crown princess! It's going to be great!" Oh god. He's working with a child! Cassandra is obviously not the only problem here, that dimwitted girl is even worse! She's going to get caught. He's almost certain of it. She's going to get caught and she'll tell every one of his involvement. Damnnit! He does not want his name known yet. He's worked way too hard to stay unknown, he's not about to let all the trouble he went through on Andros be for nought. It's probably best to keep an eye on them tonight. He almost groans out loud, he does not want to go to a Solarian party. Honestly, he has better things to do! Like taking over the Magix dimension. Or just about anything else, really.

He is brought up out of his thoughts by a female voice that doesn't belong to Cassandra or her little whelp. "Stella your directions suck! Honestly, who taught you how to write? Now, where is—" They slow down before stopping completely when she becomes visible on the top of the stairs. A fleeting look is all he gives her, his eyes linger on her hair for but a moment. It had been a long time since he had seen hair in that particular shade of red. Then he continues to think about the temporary distraction Cassandra just forced on him and how to make it at least a bit bearable "Oh! Hello Countess, my apologies I thought I heard Stella" The voice forces itself through his mind again, and once again he focusses his eyes on the current situation. "Well I'm not, and as you can see I'm very busy, excuse me." Cassandra's tone is a biting one, her arrogance evident in the way she looks down her nose at the girl who straightens up out of what he thinks might have been a curtsy. A quick study shows him that she doesn't look anything like the girls one normally sees in a palace, no gown to show status and no uniform to show that she might work here. They start moving again, leaving no space for the girl to pass them. He sees the girl doesn't move, standing her ground and studying them. Not paying any particular notice to his person. He moves to the side slightly which catches her attention. Leaving just enough room for her to pass he sees the grateful look she sends him, not meeting his eyes. Strange, what is a commoner doing in the palace? Just as she passes him, barely enough room between their body's to even move, he feels a sudden shock to his system and slows down. She too slows down for a fraction of a second, apparently having felt the same thing, cyan blue orbs meeting his eyes for the first time and then she's gone. He narrows his eyes and they follow the red ribbon of hair chasing behind her as she runs lightly down the stairs and across the room to turn the corner, where she leaves his sight. He continues walking, squashing the tiny spark of intrigue and forcing the strange encounter out of his mind. He doesn't have the time for any more distractions, not with the disaster that is Cassandra's current plan. Cassandra leads him to the planetarium and shows him the many suns of Solaria. He moves to the second sun, he couldn't go after the first one, not if he wants to remain unknown for a little while longer. He reaches for the orb of light, absorbing it's power until it's bled dry. The power coursing through his veins wakes him up a bit more after Omega, makes him more alert and to be honest it feels _good_ to be back in action. He turns to Cassandra and the little pet she calls a daughter - honestly there's no original thought in that girl's mind - and gives them a tiny spark of power, seems he is a man of his word after all. They are lifted into the air, floating in the bright light of what was once the second sun of Solaria. Of course, there was no reason to tell them about the mark that flashed on their necks for a moment before sinking into their skin. None at all.

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He leaves them to their preparations and walks about the castle, looking around. Maybe he could try to find the king's library, extra spell books are always useful after all. It has been a while since he was last on Solaria, the seventeen years in Omega and the few months before the attack on Sparx seem to have changed the planet. But not just the planet and its people have changed, he realises while searching for spellbooks, the castle has changed as well. Not surprising really, the last time he was on Solaria the castle was destroyed beyond repair. He'd always been impressed by the damage the Ancestral Witches were able to cause. In the end, he doesn't find the library, the castle has changed beyond recognition which makes it impossible to find his way around without a guide or a lot of free time. And it just so happens that his time is up, the guests are starting to arrive. He creates an illusion around himself, grounded in Dragon Fire just in case they check for disguises. He has made enemies on Solaria in the past and doesn't know if they might remember him, best to be safe. Walking into the ballroom is a challenge, it is already starting to fill up with stuck-up lords and ladies and it takes considerable effort not to start throwing fireballs around. He moves to the side of the hall, to the edge of the dance floor and fades into the background. He keeps himself entertained, trying to find familiar faces in the crowd. He's studying the faces of a group of elderly men that he swears were part of the War-Council of Light during the war when he sees their collective eyes move to the left. He follows their gazes to find a fighting couple. He doesn't recognise the boy but the girl's red hair catches his attention. The same shade of red he'd seen this morning. The boy grabs her arm and he instinctively knows the kid just made a bad move. The girl rips her arm free from the boys grasp and give him a push. He expects the boy to take a step back, maybe even stumble a bit before righting himself. What he doesn't expect is for the boy to go flying and land on his back. Apparently she has a good grasp of passive magicks, interesting. A blond girl in the most skimpy dress he has ever seen rushes to the boy while a blue haired girl moves over to the redhead. They speak for a bit, the blue haired one obviously trying to calm her fiery friend before they split up. The blue haired girl moves to the now standing boy, a furious look on her face while the redhead moves in the opposite direction. His eyes follow the redheaded girl as she walks through the crowd, slowly moving towards him. The girl doesn't bump into anyone, seemingly moving around people without even noticing, always at least 2 inches of distance between her and everybody else. At first, he doesn't even notice that he's moving and when he does he stops in his tracks. He's now in her line of sight as she moves closer, she doesn't see him though. He's quite glad that she doesn't. What is wrong with him? Why in the Great Dragon's name is he so intrigued by her presence? He knows he shouldn't move any closer and he tries to move away now that he realises what he's done. His body refuses to cooperate however, and it's incredibly frustrating. What is going on!? She is but a few feet away from him when he gives up on his struggle and follows his instincts. At the very last possible moment, he takes a sudden step to his right.

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He can see the shock on her face when she collides with him. He moves quickly, one hand grabbing her upper arm while the other moves to her waist, keeping her safe from contact with the ballroom floor. She's tensed, expecting to collide with the floor. When she doesn't she relaxes for a moment before tensing all over again when she finally notices his hands on her body. Her eyes shoot up to meet his own and he is surprised to see a spark of recognition in her eyes. "Careful, wouldn't want to dirty that dress." He's spoken before he even thinks about it. He slowly uprights both himself and the girl, and only when they're upright do they break eye contact. "I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going, my apologies." She curtsies once he has let go of her. Only now he notices her attire and he doesn't know how he could've mistaken her for a commoner this morning, the way she moved and spoke, curtsy and all, speaks of royal blood. For a split second, he doesn't know what to say. He shouldn't say anything anyway. He should leave. This, whatever this is, is dangerous. He can't afford to get distracted, not now, not ever. "It's quite alright, it seems I too was lost in thought." He. Is. An. Idiot. What is he doing!? "Thank you, for catching me." She smiles at him before continuing. "Is there anything I could do to thank my rescuer?" He has no clue why he does it, the only reason for it could be temporary insanity. "Dance with me?" She looks surprised before letting out a small smile and taking his now waiting hand. They are moving around the dance floor in a waltz when she speaks again: "Countess Cassandra isn't here yet. She'll come in with the king and his court." He almost steps on her toes in his shock, only barely managing to catch himself. In the name of the Great Dragon, how did she make that connection? How could she possibly know that he was looking for Cassandra? He is just about to ask her how she knows when the sound of trumpets breaks the peace. Everyone falls silent as the king and princess walk through the just opened doors. The king is the first to speak. "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you the belle of the ball tonight: my beautiful daughter Stella!" As the people applaud the princess he looks at the girl next to him, she had used that name this morning, did she actually know the princess? And was she so familiar with the princess that she could call out and berate her on her writing? As the royal announcer introduces the rest of the king's entourage he turns to the girl to study her. She's wearing a blue dress, the dark blue bodice contrasts nicely with her hair and the fit of the corse- Hell No! He's not going there. Yes, he's a man and he can admire a female figure as much as he likes but not when he's already endangered this whole operation just because he followed his instincts. He has to do something! Focus... Cassandra, how did she know? When he notices that her attention to the introductions is diminishing he decides to ask. "How did you know I was looking for the Countess?" She looks at him curiously, as if she had trouble understanding his question. "Well... I suppose I just guessed, you were walking with her this morning after all." This time he isn't sure if he manages to hide his shock. Quickly he checks his illusion again, had it failed? No, he finds out his illusion is fine. For the sake of the Magix Dimension what was going on here, how could this girl see through his disguise? It was settled with Dragon Fire, it should've impossible to see through! Maybe he has lost his edge? Maybe she'd just immune to disguise spells?He has no clue on how to get his answers, he can't just tell her that he is wearing a disguise. Especially not now that he knows that she has connections in the castle. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone. I'll be the only one to know that the Countess has an overprotective guard." He's startled, and she lets out a tinkling laugh. "A-ah, No that's not..." He trails off. She made him stutter. Stutter. Him, the big bad of this dimension. He was feared across the whole dimension and She. Made. Him. Stutter. _Stutter_! Honestly what has become of him. He used to be able to break grown men down with his words alone and here he is, stuttering because of a girl. How far the mighty had fallen. "Hey, I'm sorry if I overstepped. Forget I ever said anything." She isn't panicked, but she is apologetic. He sighs and turns back to her fully. "It's alright, you surprised me." He lets out a smirk. "It is not often that someone manages to catch me off guard, well done." She smiles at him and holds out her hand. "Well then, may I have this dance? It wouldn't do to be the only ones not dancing after all." Taking a quick look around he sees that she is right, everyone is dancing, following the king and his daughter in their first dance. He takes her hand in his and they join in. Their dancing comes to a stop as the king moves back up the dais. They turn towards it as one, one of his hands still on her waist. Its almost like he is embracing her, and he can't quite seem to make himself let go. Then the king gives his announcement and the fact that Cassandra actually managed to get the job done settles in his mind. "Oh no, poor Stella. " He turns to look at the Solarian princess and he sees the look of shock on her face. He looks at the girl that he is still lightly holding and asks her why the blonde seems so surprised. "Well, she had hoped that maybe her parents would get back together. Even if that was highly unlikely, I think it's still bad form that she wasn't informed before tonight. He just jeopardized her image as a princess." The disapproval and maybe even disgust almost radiated from her body. She was right of course, the princess's shock was clearly visible and it showed weakness. One couldn't show any weakness in a political setting, it was social suicide. "I'm sorry, I need to go find Stella. Thank you, I had a great time." She's turned back to face him, dislodging his arm from her middle, the smile that had been on her face when they danced now gone, replaced with a neutral look that showed nothing of her feelings. She curtsies once again before she turns and is swallowed by the crowd. He doesn't stay for long after that. He sees the blonde princess turning into a monster and he's surprised that even that part of Cassandra's plan worked. The king calls for the guards to destroy his daughter and panic breaks out. He disappears in the confusion, teleporting out before any of the fairies can transform and the fighting really starts. Only when he's back on Andros scanning the planet for any remaining power sources does he realize that he never asked for the girl's name.


	2. Tides

He's on the verge of ripping his hair out. They just don't _shut up_. Honestly they're worse than Cassandra, who knew that was even possible? He doesn't even know their names and considering they keep calling each other 'sister' that's pretty much all he knows about them. Well, that's not really true. He knows what they look like so, in lieu of knowing their names, he's given them nicknames. Yes, nicknames. _God_ he sounds like a schoolgirl, he can't wait to get rid of these little annoyances.

\- "I can't wait until we destroy those pixies!"

\- "You said it sister, we'll finally get those goody two shoes pixies to shut up!"

...He should kill himself right now, before his headache becomes even worse.

\- "I'll show them my worst twister! That'll keep them down for good this time!"

Alright, enough. He can't take it anymore!

 _The sudden feeling of magic fighting against his own is what does it._

"As long as you remember sisters, Blo--" " **SILENCE**!!!" Finally, some peace and quiet. If only it lasted a little longer.

"Look man I don't know what your problem is but-" "My problem is that you witches are all bark and no bite." He grins, time to get rid of these witches. Anything that can fight against his magic should be enough to take these three out of commission. " _Hey_ you can't jus-" He must admit though, the colour of their faces when he cuts them off mid-sentence is _glorious_. "If you want to be useful go outside and deal with our new guests, I'm sure you'd like to welcome them in your own unique ways." They're silent for one teeny tiny moment --thank the Dragon for that -- before the blond(or is it white?he doesn't know, really.) haired one huffs out: "Fine, we'll see to our new guests but after that you're on your own." "Yeah expect no more help from us douchebag!" All he does is raise an eyebrow at them and sending a small blast their way, the three sisters are out of the cave before he knows it.

He should have done this sooner.

Well... at least he has something to look forward to. He focuses on the magic that is slowly but surely turning his newly acquired mermaids back to normal and sends more power through the connection. Now that he is more focused on the magic the sheer _lightness_ of it alone confirms that it is in fact fairy magic fighting against him. Before he can dive deeper into the sources --there must be more than one, the magic is too diverse to belong to just one fairy -- he feels the resistance of the foreign magic cave in against the pressure of his own and it pulls away. A pity really, he would've liked to investigate.

Well then, Let's see how well these fairies do against the three Idiots. He pulls on his magic and creates a scrying screen showing a blurry picture slowly becoming clearer, let the fun begin. The first thing he sees when the image clears is the three witches. It doesn't take long however before multiple shouts pull his attention to the fairies that just arrived at the scene. "The Trix!" "I should have known they'd be involved somehow!" "Shouldn't you three be in jail right now?" At first glance there's five of them, all transformed and it seems they already know the three witches. _Interesting_. Then he takes a second look and his eyes widen. Red and cyan blue catch his attention. There she is, the girl from Solaria.

What was supposed to be a fun time watching three idiots be defeated by a group of fairies turns into a a fight that has him on the edge of his metaphorical seat. Not because he is scared that the red head might lose, no she can hold her own just fine, the witches are _really_ taking a beating. But because none of them mention _her_ name. He'll never admit that the last two weeks the question of her name has been drifting through his mind. However now that she is so close, _he_ is so close, it's all he can do not to fly out and ask her himself. The banter between the idiots --even if he now knows their names he's not really inclined to call them anything other than idiots at this point-- and the fairies is insane. It seems the only thing the witches can do is talk, even they're the ones getting their asses kicked. She hasn't partaken in the banter so far but it seems even her patience has run out. "Hey girls, let's Freshmen this shall we?" He has no idea what it means but it seems most of the fairies and the three witches do. "You got it B! Leave Darcy and Stormy to us!" B, that's all he knows her by since no-one has spoken her name yet. "You think you can take us pixies, we'll destroy you!" this time it's the pink haired one that speaks up. "Funny we've been hearing that for years now Stormy, but I think we all know how this ends."

His eyes follow the red headed fairy and the ice witch, ironic really: ice vs fire. It doesn't take all that long before the witch is send to the small island below and his fairy leaves the unconscious woman to help her friends. Wait. _H_ _is_ fairy. No. He is not going there, he _can't_ go there. Even if he knows by now that it's futile he tries to fight it with all his power, he can't get distracted by a _fairy_ of all things. He is ripped from his despair by what can only be classified as a roar coming from the dark skinned fairy. "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT ICY!" His eyes snap towards the screen, instinctively searching out the redhead. It takes a moment before he finds her, she's falling towards the ocean with an alarming lack of conscious and when her fairy form dissipates mid fall he knows that something is seriously wrong. his eyes shoot towards the fairies, surely one of them has noticed the disappearance of their friend, but they're all busy extracting their revenge on the ice witch. When he tries to find the falling girl all he sees is the murky waters of the ocean and he sighs. Well at least he can go and figure out her name. He casts his illusion spell,the same one as on Solaria, and teleports to the right location. He takes one look around, sees that both the witches and fairies are to occupied to take notice of him, and dives into the water. He swims down, using his magic to propel himself forward and finds the girl lying on the bottom of the ocean in an old ruïn. He grabs her in his arms and spreads his magic out around them, forcing the old structure to rise up to the surface. When they finally reach the air he's kneeling in the middle of an old platform the girl in his arms with her head against his shoulder, water cascading from their bodies.


End file.
